


The Enigma of Friendship

by allislaughter



Series: Conundrums and Anagrams [1]
Category: Neopets
Genre: Gen, Neopian Times, canon characters as children
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-07-09
Updated: 2010-07-30
Packaged: 2017-11-20 07:53:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/583024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allislaughter/pseuds/allislaughter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Con was always told by his younger brother Lit that he was too smart for most other Neopians and that his intelligence was the reason he didn't have many friends. On a trip to the Haunted Woods, Con finds himself trapped in the Castle of Eliv Thade... During his attempt to escape, is it possible to find a friend in this unlikely place?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Published originally in Neopian Times issues 451-454. Con is my imagining of the Lenny Conundrum Wizard in his younger years. Likewise, Lit is Lightning Lenny as a child. If you don't want to imagine Con and Lit as these two characters, then feel free to just consider them as OCs. Enjoy.

Almost anyone could tell you that playing in the Haunted Woods was a risky endeavor if you had little idea of what areas were safe to roam. Though he didn’t visit the Woods often, he had studied a few maps of the locale and had a vague idea of where he and his younger brother should stay when traversing through the forest. However, he knew that knowledge could only work so well when one had little experience to back it up. As such, he stuck a few paces behind his more adventurous and, quite frankly, FASTER younger brother. The black-colored Lenny in front of him, dressed in a light-blue shirt and gray shorts would glance back and grin every so often in a show of support of his older brother’s nervousness and somewhat in relief that the other Lenny had not yet gotten lost as he had predicted prior to their venture in the woods.

The red Lenny, wearing a dark blue sweater vest and black slacks, frowned at one point when his brother looked back at him. That caused the younger to stop and let the older catch up. “What?” the younger asked in a sympathetic tone. “Am I still walking too fast for you? Or are you upset with something else?”

“Oh, Lit…” The older Lenny sighed as he used one of the many nicknames for his younger sibling. “I really think that we shouldn’t be here… They’re always telling us how dangerous it could be in certain areas…”

Lit chuckled and shook his head in amusement. “Con, Con, Con… Adults are always telling us stories in order to get us to behave. I thought someone as smart as you would know that. ‘Sides, you stay inside too much, so the least you can do is go exploring with me every once in a while. There’s a lot more to the Haunted Woods than you probably realize, so you may actually have fun!”

Con still had his previous frown etched into his beak, but the expression weakened at his brother’s continual smile. “Fine, fine. As long as we don’t get lost, I’ll tolerate it. But if something bad happens, I hope you’ll understand it if I don’t want to come here again.”

“That is if we survive what ever ‘bad happening’ you’re proposing,” Lit chimed, turning away just in time to avoid seeing a look of fear dawn onto Con’s face. He reached back and grabbed onto his older brother’s hand. “C’mon, let’s get going. It’s still morning, so we can spend a long time here before needing to leave before nightfall.” He glanced over his shoulder at his brother and rolled his eyes at the contemplative look the older Lenny now had. “Con?”

The red Lenny was glancing to the sky and to the time, seeming to mutter to himself though no words were coming out of his partially moving beak. “Judging by the rate the sun has been moving in addition to our current time, date, and location, I’d say we’d have nine hours, fifty-five minutes, and twenty-nine seconds before nightfall occurs.”

“Mm-hm. Right. Is that with or without consideration for the possibility of the sun extinguishing?” Lit asked, immediately regretting it when he saw that his brother was thinking it over again. “Stop, stop. I was joking. You are seriously too smart for your own good. You’re lucky I can tolerate you, since not many others would appreciate you constantly asserting your superior intellect.”

Con frowned partially and went silent in response. He followed the black-colored Lenny quietly, not keen on the prospect of having another random outburst of over thinking. He instead just paid attention on where they were going and what was going on around them. More Neopets were starting to appear on their path, so he assumed that they were nearing the entrance of the main area of the Haunted Woods. Lit let go of his hand then and quickened his pace to what Con knew the younger Lenny found more comfortable than his own “sluggish” speed. The older Lenny glanced up at his brother and saw the Lit was looking over at another group of young Neopets that he recognized well enough. “Not expecting your friends to be here?” he asked with a small smile.

The quicker Lenny slowed down once more and sighed. “Well… No… Listen, it’s not that I’m embarrassed to be seen with you… I just don’t want them to… I mean I’m worried you’ll… I was planning on hanging out with only you today, but if they see me… with you… they might…”

He smiled at his younger brother and shrugged. “It’s fine. Your goal was just to get me to spend less time at home, right?” He looked up at the approaching archway and sign designating the entrance to the main area of the Woods. “You can go spend time with them and we can just meet up here in a few hours or so.”

“Are you sure?” Lit asked, casting his brother an uneasy look. “What will you do by yourself? You’re not very… comfortable with strangers… Especially not here.”

Con shrugged and nodded. “I’ll find something to keep myself occupied. You don’t need to worry about me.”

“If you say so, bro.” The younger Lenny looked at his sibling one last time to see if he would change his mind. When there was no other argument he turned and ran towards his friends.

The older Lenny watched as his brother joined his friends and watched them laugh at some inside joke that he didn’t hear and felt his smile disappear as they went through the archway to go have fun without him. He was used to it. A lack of friends was the normal reason he situated himself at home, though his brother was trying to counteract that reasoning today and only failed. His younger brother seemed to be his only friend, though it was understandable to him why that was so. Con knew that what Lit had told him earlier was true. Not very many people were tolerant of his spontaneous outbursts of superfluous analysis of various problems and quandaries, or even just of everyday life.

Con sat on a decent-sized boulder, careful to not dirty his slacks. He brought his knees against his chest and sighed. Maybe he could just spend the day on that rock, entertaining his advance thoughts in silence and solitude as he waited for his brother to present himself later that day after a day of fun with his friends.

Friends…

He groaned softly and shook his head in shame. He and his brother were both smart, though Con was the one who had a higher IQ. However, Lit was the more athletic and more sociable one. Con could barely run down the street without tripping once or twice and he was horrible with talking to anyone. He couldn’t bring himself to be jealous of his brother, of course, but he did wish that he could have his own friends.

Chuckling broke him from his thoughts and he looked to the sound just in time to be pushed onto the dirt ground by its source. Con tried to stand up but was only pushed back into the ground, landing on his tail feathers.

“Hey, lookit this loser,” the assailant, a rather large Korbat chuckled, “I hardly touched him and he hits the ground.” The two others in his group, a Skeith and a Grarrl, laughed as well. Con frowned at them and gave a quiet exasperated sigh.

“Superb. I am being harried by an assemblage of malefactors.” The confused silence that followed allowed him time to back away far enough to be out of reach of any of the three as he stood up. Unfortunately, the silence was not long enough to allow him to escape. Con was soon caught and held upside down by the Skeith and the Grarrl.

“You talk funny,” the Korbat told him with a glare. “I dun like that.” He cracked his knuckles in a show of toughness that Con would find laughable if he weren’t the victim in this case.

The Lenny was shaken, probably in an attempt to get him to drop any valuables. Fortunately, or perhaps it was unfortunate, he thought, he did not carry anything with him to the Woods. He was dropped onto his head and he scrambled back up. “At least I speak with correct grammar, you unsightly brute.” The affront proved to be the wrong thing to say as the Korbat then took hold of his sweater vest and pulled him close to growl into his face.

“Did ya just insult me?” He glowered and Con paled and quivered in fear. The Lenny stuttered responses for a short moment before ducking his head under a thrown fist just in time.

Con snaked his way out of his sweater vest, leaving the white collared shirt on that was underneath, and ran off before one of the bullies could take hold of that article of clothing as well. It wasn’t as if he had a significant lack of more vests like those in his closet. But that was unimportant. He just needed to escape the three who were now chasing him.

The red Lenny tripped over what seemed to be every rock on his path and eventually stopped paying mind to where he was going in order to focus on not tripping over anything else. He looked up in time to see that he was about to run into the doorway of what seemed to be a rather large and ornate decaying manor, but was unable to stop himself from hitting the door and falling inside as it swung open on his weight.

He stood up quickly and out of the way of the entrance when suddenly the large wooden door slammed shut and a familiar locking sound resonated in the particularly quiet foyer. He jumped instinctively at the small, yet seemingly loud noise and turned to the door to try it. The lock was stuck and he was unable to turn it to open it, meaning he was now trapped inside the mansion. Con muttered wildly to himself as he tried to simultaneously keep himself calm and figure out how much force would be needed to get the door open without breaking it and trapping him more. Curtains were drawn open on a nearby window and, looking through it, he could see the pets that were chasing him run past, none the wiser of his current location. At the very least, he wouldn’t have to deal with them any longer. A sudden chill caused him to shiver and stop his useless mutterings. Of course, he would still have to deal with whoever owned the mansion that he was now trespassing in.

Con could only hope that the air of evil he was feeling was of no correlation to the owner’s actual demeanor and was just the result of paranoia and years of ghost stories about the Haunted woods.

There was a small whisper that took hold of the quiet foyer and the Lenny looked around for the source. “Owh radse…?” Con shivered further and backed away from the door as the whispering gradually become louder. “Owh radse?”

“Who…?” The young Lenny felt a presence behind him and, now extremely fearful, he slowly turned around from morbid curiosity in order to face it. His eyes widened and he gasped at what he saw.

“OWH RADSE?”


	2. Chapter 2

Con stared at the person before him. The other Neopet was quite obvious a Kacheek, with light green fur, but his features were horribly disfigured. He was in tattered purple clothing with bandages covering both of his hands and feet. His angry scowl showed crooked teeth as he glared at the Lenny who intruded into his home. The most notable thing about the Kacheek was the large red eye that didn’t match his other one, surrounded by a white patch that was tacked into his face by red stitches. Con stared at the Kacheek floating in front of him, realizing that the creature must be a ghost of some sort. “Owh radse?” he repeated, glowering deeply at the young Lenny and prompting an answer.

The young Lenny quivered in fear as he attempted to stutter a response. What was the Kacheek asking him? It wasn’t any language he spoke... He managed to calm his racing thoughts enough to realize something. Perhaps it WAS a language he spoke. “Is that… anagrams? Are you speaking in anagrams?” Con watched as the Kacheek tilted his head up at the question, but he made no moment or sound to indicate an answer. He frowned, but continued with his speculation. “If it is, then I would assume you’re asking ‘Who dares?’ since I doubt you would be asking ‘How reads?’ or any other combination of the four words…” He trailed off as the Kacheek glared harder at him. “S-Sorry…?” he stuttered, unsure of what else to say.

The ghost floated out of sight, into the darkness across from him and Con flinched as lightning flashed behind him, illuminating the room for a moment so he could see a hallway nearby him. “Wait!” he called after the ghost. “The door is stuck and I need help getting out!” The red Lenny paused a moment in hopes of a response, but only received the sound of thunder and rain pouring down. He glanced out the window and sighed at the gray and empty world on the other side. “Oh, I hope Lit’s alright…” He frowned further and resolved to follow after the ghost, slowly making his way through the darkened corridor after the mysterious Kacheek.

Carefully, he stepped through the shadows and felt around to ensure that he did not inadvertently tread into something and break it. After walking for a short time, he heard a low whispering. Con whipped his head around but could not see anything, nor detect where the whispering was coming from. “Nasien…” the voice of the Kacheek whispered. “Nasien…”

“Insane?” Con guessed quickly, receiving silence as a reply. He pondered what the ghost could have meant by that and continued walking in the darkness until he ran straight into a wall. “Ow!”

The Lenny muttered to himself about forgetting to be careful and rubbed his beak with one hand while using the other to feel around the wall until he happened upon a doorknob. He turned it and after some effort, he managed to open the heavy door and looked into the room on the other side. To his surprise, he found a small bedroom. Con slowly ventured in and looked around the room as he heard whispering once again. “Zelupz…”

“Puzzle…” he responded, looked for the Kacheek once more. Once again, the ghost was no where to be found, but instead Con found himself looking at a painting that was placed above the bed. In it was a Kacheek with the same green fur as the one he saw, but this one had yellow eyes of similar sizes and was not as disfigured as the ghost. Was it of the ghost when he was living? He wondered this as he looked around the rest of the room, past the wardrobe to the vanity with the broken mirror by the window with rain pounding against it. Lighting flashed again with thunder soon following, but as the room was brightened for the few seconds the lightning existed, Con saw it reflect on an object atop the vanity.

He picked up a gold and red amulet, examining it carefully before setting it back down. He didn’t want to take it with him, lest he be considered a thief. The Lenny thought he heard a quiet laughter to the right of him and saw another door leading out of the room. He went to the door and tried it, opening it and revealing another hallway on the other side.

Following the laughter, he stepped into the corridor and continued along the path. He ran quickly across some broken and loose tiles and onto solid floor. The floor seemed hollow under the broken tiles and he didn’t want to risk falling into an unknown abyss. The laughter quieted and ghost whispered again, seeming to be highly amused and trying to taunt him. “Fi oyu od otn cipk pu het semit, uyo nacont shanbi em!”

A confused frown formed on Con’s beak as he translated the Kacheek’s words in his mind. “I need that amulet to banish you? But why would I do that? I’m the one invading your home…” he asked aloud, searching for any sign of the ghost. He saw an equally confused glance from the ghost for a spilt second before he vanished once more. The Lenny waited for a second to see if anything else would occur but eventually decided it would be for the best for him to continue down the hall.

“Pratped…” the voice whispered again and Con quickly answered “trapped” before continuing on without a pause. He found another heavy wooden door and opened it carefully, now finding himself inside a large, cobweb-filled library. “Rovfere…”

“Forever…?” Con repeated at length. He looked around the library, searching for the ghost. “Trapped forever? What do you mean by that? I don’t even know where I am, much less who you are…” The young red Lenny did not see the ghost again so he stepped up to look at the collection of books lining the walls. All of the volumes were old and many of them were dusty, but a few were relatively clean, probably from being used recently. Con interestingly recognized a small amount of them as books he had read before in his spare time. He then stopped at a book with a gray cover and red symbols on the spine and a red “T” on the cover.

With his head slant to one side in curiosity, he reached out and slid his feathered fingers across the cover of the book before slipping them into the pages and opening it to a random section. The yellowed pages where lined with row upon row of strange red symbols. The Lenny felt strangely enthralled by the enigma laid out before him and the question of what the symbols would translate to. However, rapid glances across the text led him to close the book at a speed rivaling that of his brother’s. Con was excited by the thought of a book of puzzles… But he knew quite well what his own limitations were.

He stepped back, away from the book, still staring at it and still pondering its mysteries. “…Whoever wrote that is genius beyond my abilities.” Con paused his quiet statement as he thought carefully about his next words. “I can tell that particular page can be coherently translated, but the work that would be required to do so… Amazing. If I could make puzzles that involved…”

The room seemed to get colder at his reflection and Con shivered as he glanced around. He felt slightly disappointed when he found that the ghost was still no where in sight. He was hoping to question what that book he glanced at was. He noticed a tapestry on the wall which matched the ones he saw in the bedroom. A letter “E” was monogrammed into the fabric and that same E appeared on a few of the book cases. Perhaps it was the first letter of the ghost’s name?

Tapping the side of his beak in thought, Con tried to remember what ghosts stories he may have heard of a Haunted Woods resident with the initial “E.” He could think of none that Lit may have told him or that he may have read through on his own while perusing through libraries or the Neopedia. Perhaps he was forgetting something important… The Lenny snapped his fingers and smiled a little as an idea came to him. He pulled a random book off a shelf and opened the front cover.

“This book belongs to…” He muttered to himself as he read the words and smiled once more at the handwritten script below it. Eliv Thade. He was in the castle of Eliv Thade. Thunder struck and filled the room with a low rumble as he closed the book and slipped it back onto the shelf. Things were more frightening when the issue was unknown, but now that he had obtained knowledge of name of the ghost and owner of the manor he was in, he felt more confident.

Con stood from his place kneeling on the floor, turning to look upon the room once more. He suddenly grimaced and lost what suddenly bravery he had obtained as he saw what was carved into the wall above the entrance he took into the library.

“RATPEPD VOFERER NI YM IVLE AGEM”

He repeated it slowly, shaking and quivering as he realized how much trouble he was truly in. “Trapped forever in my evil- vile?- game…”

What illumination there was in the room rapidly faded to black as Con jumped and yelped in shock and fear from the cold hand that landed on his shoulder.


	3. Chapter 3

Con held his breath, eyes wide and body quivering, as he waited in the darkness for the one gripping his shoulder to make the first move. That move was a quiet, yet harsh whisper, almost like a hiss. “Lamc nowd.” Despite the instruction to relax, the young red Lenny found himself tensing up more.

There was an aggravated sigh and the hand relinquished the hold it had on him. Con stayed still, not sure of what he should do while it was still too dark to feel safe. A soft clicking was heard before the room gained a source of light once more, from the reading lamp next to a ripped arm chair. The one who turned on the light was the ghost that had led Con to this room.

The Kacheek looked to the Lenny, seeming to judge him as he critically glanced over Con. Both Neopets stared at each other with silence only kept from settling by the sound of rain hitting the shingles on the roof and outside walls. Once again, the ghost spoke first. “Ohw rea uyo?”

“Who- Who am I?” The Lenny tapped his fingers together nervously as he attempted to force an answer out of his mouth. “We-well, I guess you can say I have a lot of names, but none are really preferred since most of them are insults, and I’m quite embarrassed about the name my parents gave me so I like to go by nicknames though everyone seems to have a different one for me, the oddest one being Trevor though I have no idea how that one arose since it is no where close to my actual name-.” He cut himself off by clamping his beak off with his hands. Now was not the time to blather about unimportant facts. “Just call me Con,” he added quickly and quietly.

“…” The Kacheek seemed to be unimpressed with his timidity and had his arms crossed as he watched with a small frown as Con rambled. “I ese. Hawt rae ouy gonid rhee? Od ont labbeb hist meit.”

Con winced as he understood that the ghost was not happy with his useless and endless speech from before. He attempted to keep his answer shorter this time. “I was being chased by some bullies… I wasn’t watching where I was going and ran into your door and fell inside.”

The ghost tilted his head up as he inspected the Lenny once more. Con shrunk away from his glance, unsure of what the strange Kacheek could possibly be thinking. “Od yuo nowk hwo I ma?”

“Not really…” Con frowned sheepishly. “Though, after looking at one of your books, I could guess. Eliv Thade?”

“…Yes.” Thade looked almost curious about the intruder of his mansion now. Con noticed how he was no longer speaking in anagrams as well. “I am. Tell me… Con… My book over there…” He motioned over to the first book the Lenny had looked through, the one filled with the strange puzzles. “My little Grimoire of Thade. Do you really think it’s, as you put it, ‘amazing.’”

He looked from the book to the ghost once more, relaxing slightly at the question. “Actually… Yes. I have a thing for puzzles, you see… And that was one of the most enigmatic things I have ever encountered, if not the most complicated and detailed riddle there is in existence. I can only assume so much about it, and beyond that I can tell by that one page I turned to that it would be way ahead of my current comprehension skills to solve.”

“Genius beyond your abilities,” Thade repeated the young Lenny’s words from before and started to smile a bit. “That’s good to hear. It was what I intended when I wrote it.” He chuckled softly and grinned darkly. “However, I find that most who actually dare to read it go mad from the attempt. You seemed to have been smart enough to avoid that fate by merely skimming through one page instead of really bothering to read through the details.”

“Um… Thanks?” Con smiled, though he was unsure if that was the proper response. His smile ceased as he rubbed his arm, feeling awkward. “Look, I am extremely sorry that I invaded your home. I would hate to have bothered anyone and I am perfectly willing to leave and never return if you would like that.”

“No, no, stay for a while. I insist.” Thade frowned as he noticed Con adopt a look of panic and shiver in fear. He glanced over his shoulder at the writing above the door and rolled his eyes before turning back to the Lenny. “Never mind what I wrote there. I play this game, allowing young and frightened pets to wander about my home until they gather all the necessary items to ‘banish’ me to a dank crypt, but I do not appreciate them bothering me more than is needed. I have no intention of keeping any annoying pests in my home and try to get them out as soon as possible. I just have that written so they will remember not to break in again once they do leave.”

Con looked unconvinced but tilted his head to the side in interest. “But why don’t you just make them leave right away and not bother with playing a game with them? There would be less time wasted in that case, right?”

Thade nodded and sighed. “True, and perhaps if I had done that from the start things would be different. However when I first became a ghost I had a habit of talking in nothing but anagrams- I could speak normally, but I was out of practice- and I was quite angry with everything. Those who found themselves in my home took what I was telling them as a challenge as they figured out what to do to trap me and allow their escape. I very easily managed away from the crypt after they left, but I found what had happened to be a delightful break from things. I continued that pattern with others who came in until it became expected of me and now I find it is very bothersome and wish they could give me a break. That’s why I locked the door after you came in, since I didn’t want any extra annoyances.”

He chuckled and smiled at the Lenny. “Of course, you proved to be more interesting than most others I have dealt with. I don’t mind you staying, for at least until it stops raining.”

“Oh… Uh… Thanks?” Con smiled a little, though it was hesitant and gone after only a few seconds. “I’m sorry that I don’t know how to respond, I’ve never been very sociable. In fact Lit was just…” He trailed off as he remembered his younger brother, still outside in the rain and probably wondering where he was. “Oh, shoot, I forgot about Lit… Oh dear, I hope my poor brother is fine out in the rain, though he is with his friends. Hmm.”

“You are babbling again,” Thade said with a sigh. “If your brother is with others, then he should be fine. If you don’t know your way around here, it is safer in a group. Also, even if it’s raining, it’s still during daytime and the more dangerous nocturnal creatures don’t change their sleep patterns just for dark skies and water.”

“I suppose,” Con replied as he frowned at the thought of all the things that could prove the ghost’s statement wrong and end up harming his younger brother. Of course, Lit could outrun almost anything and his friends were quite the oddball group when it came to their strengths. Lit joked before about them starting a superhero group when they were older… Perhaps they could handle it on their own, even if Con obviously couldn’t.

The Kacheek watched the distant look his guest was adopting and raised his brow at the sight. “Speaking of groups,” he said to draw the Lenny’s attention. “Why were you alone when you were chased here? Wasn’t your brother with you?”

Sighing, the young Lenny shook his head at the latter question. “No, Lit saw his friends and decided to hang out with them. He was planning on spending time with me, since I stay at home too often, but his friends showed up and I could tell he didn’t want to be seen with me then.”

“Mm.” He nodded a bit, seeming to understand what Con was going through. “I see. That wasn’t very nice of him, was it? Avoiding your presence so callously after promising the day with you. It’s nice to know that he’s the one out in the rain, isn’t it?”

Con frowned at the ghost. “No. It isn’t. I don’t blame him for not wanting to be around me; I’m one of the least entertaining people out there. If I actually had friends, I’d prefer to go off with them than spend the day with someone like me. I don’t retain any ill will towards him and it was my suggestion that he leave me behind anyway. I’d hate for him to be uncomfortable…”

“Oh? My apologies then.” Thade chuckled and shot a crooked smile at the other Neopet. “I just had pinned you for the type to become jealous and malicious in the case of being wronged.”

“What? No!” The young Lenny shook his head and waved his hands. “Nonono, not me. That would be really bad. Genius is not put to good use when it is applied for malevolent intentions.” He sighed a little before rubbing the back of his neck nervously. “Besides, I’m not jealous of him… I just would like to have friends like he does.”

Thade gave him a questioning glance. “Am I to assume that you have none? Besides your aforementioned brother, though I do not think he should be associated as such based on what you have revealed about him.” When the other was silent in response, he turned to one of the doorways out of the library and motioned for him to follow. “Come along. Would you like some tea? I don’t have much in the way of refreshments sans my small supply for other Haunted Woods denizens that I tolerate the company of…”

Con looked up at Thade and hesitated as he decided on the best course of action. Despite previous events, the ghost seemed safe enough. He obeyed the instruction to follow and nodded, though the latter action was more to himself. “Tea would be nice, thank you.”

The ghost smiled to himself as he walked out of the room and led the Lenny down a winding corridor. “Contrary to what you may believe, I think you are one of the most entertaining Neopets who has ever invaded my home, how ever unwittingly that invasion was. Decoding words is one thing, but full sentences? And so quickly. True, you don’t seem to be on par with my Grimoire just yet, but if you ever decide to focus a good portion of your time solving puzzles, after increasing your knowledge you may be able to make it through my book without becoming too insane.”

He laughed quietly at that, resting his feathered hand around his beak to stifle it. “You think that my intelligence is amusing? Strange, Lit was just telling me earlier how other Neopets don’t like that about me. Of course, all those people can’t get through some of the simpler riddles I find.” He paused for a moment and looked at Thade as the Kacheek glanced back at him. “You are one of the few I have met who is smarter than me. That is a very respectable quality in my mind.”

“I thank you for that,” Thade responded with a nod as he opened the door to the kitchen. “You are quite clever yourself. And courteous, I might add. You considered the fact that you broke into my home before considering that I might be an evil ghost who would exact a diabolical revenge in response. I both impressed and disappointed that you did not think of the threat of being trapped here forever until you read it on my wall.” The Kacheek turned to Con after walking into the kitchen, frowning at him. “After all, this is the Haunted Woods. Just because I was bluffing doesn’t mean some other residents would be. If you run into Count Von Roo, for instance? Or the Spider Grundo?”

“Um… I’ll remember to be more concerned for my own safety the next time I intrude on someone’s private abode?” He grinned sheepishly at the ghost’s flat glare, immediately frowning once Thade looked away. He watched as the ghost made his way through the dirt and cobwebs to a cabinet that was surprisingly clean on the inside. The Kacheek used the supplies inside to start work on making tea for the two of them to share. Con watched him for a moment before something in the corner caught his eye. The red Lenny carefully stepped over to it and noticed that it was a shield, blue as its base color and with a gold design and letter “P” on its front. He examined what he could of the shield without touching it. “Hmm.”

“That’s the Shield of Pion Troect,” Thade told him as he worked on the tea. When Con glanced at him, he continued. “As I told you, that book was my Grimoire of Thade. In the bedroom was the Amulet of Thilg, and though you haven’t been there yet, the dining room houses the Sword of Skardsen.”

“Protection, light, darkness,” Con said, laughing softly in amusement. “If you don’t have a fondness for anagrams, then it would be because you use them so often.”

The ghost glanced over at the Lenny in query before gracing him with a response. “You have conveniently skipped over the anagram for Thade. You are obviously smart, so what do you get when you rearrange the letters of my name?”

“Have tiled?” the young Neopet offered prior to shrinking back from the glare he received. “Eliv becomes live, veil, vile, or evil. Thade becomes hatred or death. It’s rather grim, but what is in a name? I go by so many, myself…”

Thade gave him a blank look before rolling his eyes and smiling. “Is Con one of the better ones? You are putting the concept rather simply, I must say. When I was born, I was named Eliv Thade, and when I died I was Eliv Thade, and ages later, right here and now, I still go by Eliv Thade. There is plenty to be found in a single name, when it is the only one a person goes by. Saying my name is grim would be putting it lightly to some people.”

Con shrugged, unsure of what else he was supposed to say. “I rather like it.” Thunder boomed once more, and the Lenny glanced up towards the sound. He became silent and moved his fingers to count off something to himself, suddenly compelled to figure out a puzzle provided by the noise. The Kacheek watched him, but said nothing. Soon the tea was done and Thade set the teapot and cups on a tray. The younger Neopet looked up at that movement and let the ghost hand him the tray.

“This way,” Thade said, leading Con down another hallway and into the dining room. Rain was falling in through the broken window panels and the clock’s hands were slowly ticking until they both landed on 12. The grandfather chimed that mark and Con set the tray on the dust covered table.

“Noon already?” he asked aloud. Thade nodded and moved the chairs away from the window. The ghost took one and poured the tea as he motioned for the Lenny to take another chair. Con was handed one of the teacups which he took with a nod of thanks.

The Kacheek sipped at his and looked at the younger Neopet across from him. “You know… Normally the Neopets who wander into here and make it through the four main rooms of my castle would gather the correct items along the way and then banish me to the crypt.”

Raising his brow Con set down his teacup and thought for a moment before speaking. “I…I think that would be a very good way to make someone mad… And I didn’t realize that it was part of a routine…”

“And I’m glad for that.” Thade nodded once and then continued. “It saves me from the hassle of leaving my crypt once I’m stuck in there. It is none of a challenge for me, especially since I have done it so many times before. It would be a very lackluster puzzle now.”

Con nodded as well. “I know what you mean. …About so-called challenges being boring, that is.  I don’t like it once puzzles become easily solved. That’s why I like to make my own, since it is tricky enough to make a riddle that is simultaneously difficult, solvable, and captivating.” He frowned once he realized what he said, shrinking back a bit. “I… I mean…”

The ghost tilted his head up in curiosity. “You make your own puzzles? That is good to know. But why do you seem embarrassed by that?”

“Be-because Lit- and others- they don’t like…” The red Lenny stopped once Thade raised his hand in a signal to quit talking.

Thade sipped his tea once more before setting it down and looking at Con sternly. “And why should it matter what they think if you like creating them? People do not like to be outsmarted, even if it is in just in a game, but you obviously have no malice behind what you do. I can’t imagine that you’d make riddles to con people, unlike your name implies. In this matter, they are probably just jealous of your intelligence.”

“Jealous…?” Con repeated. No, that couldn’t be it. Why would anyone be jealous of him…? Lit would tell him not tell “assert his intelligence,” but that was just so he wouldn’t… make others mad… Perhaps the ghost was right. “I… They- They probably would be jealous…” He frowned at this realization. “You’re right about that.”

Smiling, the Kacheek chuckled and nodded. “I often am right.” He looked at the Lenny and grinned. “Go on. Tell me one of your puzzles. I want to see your current level of intelligence and creativity in making them.”

Con was silent for a few seconds before nodding. “Alright… I will.”


	4. Chapter 4

“There are two Nimmos; one is blue and the other is green. The blue Nimmo points to the green one and says ‘Brothers and sisters I have none, but this Nimmo's father is my fathers son...’ What is the relation of the blue one to the green one?”

“The blue Nimmo is the green Nimmo’s father,” Thade answered almost immediately. He scoffed and shook his head in disappointment. “Is that all you have? I expected better.”

“Well… No…” Con rubbed the back of his neck nervously and sighed. “That’s one of my easier ones. Though it took Lit a little while to get it and he’s a fast thinker. Uh…” He cut himself off before he started to ramble again and searched his mind for a better puzzle. “While examining your wristwatch, you come across an old man who tells you about his unique invention. He gives you two strings and tells you that when you light one end of either string it will take an hour to burn completely. He goes on to say that the rate the strings burn is completely random as both strings are different. With no other knowledge about the strings, how do you measure out 45 minutes?”

The ghost paused for a moment to think about the question. “I suppose that is a little better. Light both ends on the first string and one end of the second. Once the first string is burnt out completely, light the other end of the second string. When the second string has finished burning, it has been 45 minutes.”

Con smiled a bit at the answer and chuckled softly in amusement. “Well, yes. That is right. However, my preferred answer would be to just use the wristwatch that I mentioned you have.”

After narrowing his eyes for a second, the ghost then relaxed and gave a short laugh as well. “That is not so much as a riddle as a trick question. I’ll accept it, but you will have to improve if you want to pose a greater challenge to others.” Thade leaned back in his chair and said to the Lenny, “With practice, you could become an excellent puzzle maker.”

Pondering the sentiment wordlessly Con stared at the table and glanced up when he found the necessity to vocalize once more. “Do you really think so?” he breathed out quietly, not sure whether to truly believe the ghostly Kacheek’s words. “But… Lit said… Would people actually like to try and solve my puzzles?”

Amused, he chuckled in response and then smirked at his Lenny guest. “My dear boy, I am a much crueler person than you. Mind, I’m being nice to you but you’re different. If so many people over so many years insist on coming into my home to hear me shout anagrams for them to solve, then who is to say that some of those same Neopets would or would not want to test their intelligence against your riddles? You just need to find the right audience, Con. Don’t listen to your brother about everything,  because he does not seem to know much about what he is saying in that context.”

The Lenny became unspoken once more and took this time to finish his cup of tea, setting it gently back down onto the table as Thade broke the stillness once more. “Remember Con, people don’t like being outsmarted. But there are also a good number of people who enjoy a good intellectual challenge once it is presented for them. The Brain Tree, for instance. Perhaps I could take you to meet him once day and he could share pointers on how to improve your conundrums.” The Kacheek smiled as the young Lenny perked up and turned to him. “Conundrum. Is that what ‘Con’ developed from, per chance?”

Nodding somewhat, Con let loose a smile in response. “Yes, it is. And… Was that an offer for me to actually spend time with you again? In public no less…”

“Of course it was,” Thade replied curtly. “I would not have said it otherwise. Besides…” He looked at the younger Neopet, giving him a sincere smile instead of the smirking grin from before. “The whole reason you are here is because you needed to get out of your house more often. Having me as a friend would give you an excuse now, hmm?”

Friend… The word echoed in Con’s mind as he attempted to register the fact that it was actually said and he was not just imagining it. He smiled wider at the prospect of actually having a genuine friend for the first time in his young life. Sure, it would be with a ghost with a passion for anagrams and that resided in the Haunted Woods, but any friend was better than the alternative. “That would… That would be wonderful. And… You would honestly consider associating with me, of all people, under such a title?”

“Hmph.” He set his teacup down and crossed his arms, turning up his nose a bit. “Now you are just being insulting. Yes, I would. As I said before, you interest me and I would more than tolerate your presence. As long as you do not drag any unseemly types into my home, I will in fact be your friend.” The ghost smiled again at the Lenny, trying to comfort him. “You lack too much self-esteem. Don’t be so skeptical about others liking you, especially if it is your brother insisting that no one would.”

“…” Con nodded after a moment’s pause, smiling warmly back at Thade. “Alright. I’ll try to be more confident from now on. And thank you, I appreciate this so much.” He looked to the window and saw that rain was no longer pounding against the panes. “Well… It seems to have stopped raining… Lit is probably worried. Is it fine if I leave now?”

Thade nodded and stood up. “Of course. I’ll show you to the door.” He led the Lenny back to the front door, taking a moment to unlock it before looking to Con. “I am here most of the time, so feel free to stop by in an emergency. That said; try not to have an emergency. Could you stop by in the morning one week from now? I wish to help you improve on your conundrums.”

Con beamed at the final word and proceeded to nod vigorously. “Yes, yes I will. Next week, I’ll be here. Again, thank you. For your hospitality and everything else.”

The Kacheek gave him a nod and opened the door. “You’re welcome. Now hurry out. Your brother would worry more if he saw you exiting my mansion. Let’s keep our friendship a secret for now, alright?”

“Yes, yes. Thank you. Good-bye.” Con waved slightly and stepped through the exit with the large door closing behind him. The red Lenny grinned to himself and hurried back to where he was supposed to meet his brother, surprisingly not tripping over anything or landing in any mud puddles for once. He made it back to their meeting place where he saw Lit pacing rapidly back and forth. His younger brother seemed worried, so he thought it best to approach quickly to ease Lit’s mind. “Lit! There you are!”

Lit looked up at the sound of his voice and rushed up to Con. “Here I am? Where were you? And where is your sweater vest?”

“Hmm?” The red Lenny looked down at his clothes. “Oh right, I forgot about that. I think I lost it when some bullies were chasing me earlier. Nothing to worry about though, I have more at home.”

“You had bullies chasing you!” Lit repeated what he had just said as more of a statement than a question. “I knew I shouldn’t have left you alone, you always get into these kinds of messes! Are you alright at least? Did you get hurt too much? How did you stay dry during the rain? Why are you smiling like that?!”

Con laughed a bit, realizing that it was Lit who was now rambling pointlessly. “I’m fine and I didn’t get hurt. And to answer your last two questions, I made a friend, believe it or not. They helped me out and I’ve made plans to see them next week. And that means, I think you will not have to worry as much about me staying home too frequently in the future.”

The dark-colored Lenny glanced up at his brother before checking him over to make sure that he was in fact fine. When he was satisfied with what he saw, he and nodded and smiled kindly. “That’s great Con! I’m glad you actually made a friend for once! Now let’s get home. Unlike you, I actually did get wet.”

“Right.” Con nodded in agreement and let his younger brother lead him out of the forest. He glanced back once to look at the mansion he had been the entire day. Smiling, he turned back around to catch up with his brother. He just had to wait one week and then he could spend time with an actual friend...


End file.
